what does "wholistic"
really mean?

general approach

feeding
& nutritional therapy

exercise physiology
& sports medicine

internal medicine

physical therapy
& rehabilitation

"prehab"

manual & movement
therapies

osteopathic care
of the spine

homeopathy
& homotoxicology

medical intuitive evaluation

energy medicine

Anima Herbal Solutions

MANUAL & MOVEMENT THERAPIES

Manual therapy basically means treatment that involves the use of the hands. It covers many types of treatment in which the practitioner uses her hands therapeutically on the patient's body.

The methods I use include massage, acupressure, passive range-of-motion exercises, gentle stretches, spinal mobilisation (based on osteopathic principles and the work of Milton Trager MD), and hands-on energy medicine - performing energy work while the hands are placed directly on the patient. By using my hands in this way, I'm better able to interpret and interact with the horse's body to encourage relaxation, relief, and restoration of normal flow and function.

Movement therapy involves using specific activities or exercises for a particular therapeutic purpose. Depending on the horse, the problem, and the stage of recovery or fitness, the activities I use include weight-shifting at rest, ground exercises to improve flexibility ("horse yoga"), obstacle courses, ground pole or cavaletti work, and even specific maneuvers under saddle.

In the healthy horse, these manual and movement therapies are particularly effective for releasing habitual tension and re-educating the body and mind to trade...

resistance for softness and inflexibility for suppleness
heaviness for lightness and tightness for freedom
clumsiness for coordination and restraint for power
lethargy for energy and soreness for comfort
reluctance for enthusiasm and obedience for partnership
sourness for enjoyment and automaton for animation

The rider.  I also like to involve the rider in the rehab process, even if the horse is not yet ready for ridden exercise. Very often, habitual patterns of tension, unevenness, or imbalance in the rider interfere with the horse's ability to move in an even, balanced, and fluid way, with ease and efficiency.

So, while the horse is moving through the recovery or rehabilitation process, I find it helps to get the rider thinking about and working on her own patterns of posture and movement. We all have something that impedes our ability as riders; sometimes just being aware of it is enough. Other times, though, it is of great benefit to the horse when the rider begins some form of manual or movement therapy for herself. (The Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method are each wonderful for riders.)